Franklin addresses rumors
Coach says he has ‘shown his loyalty’
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In his eight years running the show at Penn State, James Franklin has frequently discussed the importance of maintaining relationships.
Such was a topic of conversation again during his media availability Wednesday. As rumors continue to swirl about Franklin’s potential departure for USC or LSU, Franklin went into great detail about his desired transparency.
He also briefly evaluated the performances the offensive line has put together through the first seven games of the season. In anticipation of No. 20 Penn State’s tussle with No. 5 Ohio State, he also highlighted some of the Buckeyes’ greatest offensive strengths.
Forthright Franklin?
Head coaching vacancies will continue to lead to Franklin being listed as a potential candidate. However, with seven years and change in University Park already under his belt, Franklin believes his commitment to Penn State has never wavered.
“I think I have shown my loyalty to this team, to this program, to this community,” he said. ‘I think I’ve been pretty consistent with that.”
As he has at various junctures this season and in prior years, Franklin did not address nor shoot down the notion of him coaching at a different school in 2022. In part, this is due to his desire for honesty. Though he remains “fiercely loyal” to Penn State, Franklin acknowledged that there are some moving parts at play.
“There’s times that you’re put in challenging situations, and I just always want to be able to, when I say something, it’s done and it’s set in stone,’ he said. “When you’re talking about the future, that can be challenging at times.”
Lackadaisical line
It’s no secret that learning how to successfully run the ball has escaped the Nittany Lions. Through seven games, Penn State has the 100th best rushing attack in Football Bowl Subdivision. Junior offensive lineman Juice Scruggs believes the offense’s big men have yet to come together.
“Us up front, we just got to be more physical,” he said. “We got to come off the ball and move people.”
Against Illinois, the Nittany Lions had their secondlowest rushing total of the season with 62 yards. When asked what the issue is, Franklin pointed to his linemen’s acquired skills like fundamentals and technique, as well as physical components like size and strength.
Yet, he did not pin all blame on the line. “It’s also making sure our runners are running with the right type of mentality down there. I don’t think there’s any question about that. It’s something we’re going to continue to emphasize and continue to work on, but we got to get more push and we got to be more physical at the attack with our offensive line and tight ends.”
Hot-shot Henderson
Ohio State’s two gifted receivers — Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson — will attract much attention throughout Saturday’s game, but another skill player has Franklin’s eyes: running back TreVeyon Henderson.
The freshman out of Hopewell, Va., has ran for 686 yards this season on 79 carries. He also has 14 total touchdowns, with 11 of them rushing.
“I think he’s changed them,” Franklin said. “They’ve always obviously been talented at the running back position, but he’s made them just so much more explosive.”